Lay Us Down
by wedonotsow
Summary: About five years after the war, Naruto and Sasuke are Hokage and a member of the ANBU black ops. However, in these times of peace for the Leaf village, both men find themselves becoming more closely intertwined due to the tattoos constantly reminding one another of their emotions. SasuNaruSasu fic, mature content.
1. Chapter 1

So this is my first story in about five years, as I previously deleted my account. But now I'm back, and felt inspired. Please guys, if you notice any grammatical errors or gross misuse of punctuation, please tell me. Any comments or helpful criticism is certainly welcome. Enjoy :]

* * *

The night was quiet and the city of Konaha's lights were all but diminished. It was nearing 3 am, and Naruto remains unable to achieve restful sleep.

Naruto stared at his palm where a stark circle tattoo stared back at him, and rubbed it thoughtfully.

"I suppose you can't sleep either, huh?"

Slipping into a jacket and sweat pants, he left his quarters and kept out into the brisk autumn night air.

It was three days after his twenty third birthday, and three years after his appointment to Hokage. Time seemed to have slowed to a dull ache after the events of the war. It is good for the village, these ensuing days of peace, but Naruto felt a stirring of uneasiness in his heart. Sitting at a desk made him bored, longing for adventure and less paperwork.

The climb to the top of Hokage mountain was waking him up, the wind pressed up against his face exhilarating as he quickly jumped to the top. He took a deep inhale of the night air, and smiled as he landed next to the dark figure standing there. He laid back on the rough face of the rock with his hands behind his head and gave a warm smile in his companion's direction.

"When did ya get back?"

Sasuke lowered the hood of his cloak, and turned his face toward Naruto. The light of the moon washed out his already pale skin, giving it a silver glow.

"A few hours ago."

Sasuke. although boldly stating his intent to lead the village after his return during the war, was never trusted completely again by the civilians or shinobi of the village. Naruto fought fiercely with the elders of the village after his appointment to Hokage to allow Sasuke status as an ANBU member, provided Naruto would be personally responsible for whatever indiscretions he may take. Naruto felt pangs of guilt, for not convincing them to allow the two to rule together. Even till, the two remained in close confidence. But deep in his heart, he was glad Sasuke was able to leave the village and carry out missions the black haired man was known for brutally carrying out. He knew it kept the other man sane, even if it made him worried.

However, since the two were linked by palm, Naruto could always tell somewhat what Sasuke was feeling. It was hardly ever fear, and gave him no excuse to be legitimately worried for the other's safety.

"How did it go, then?"

Sasuke sat down beside him, setting his katana at his feet and adjusted his cloak. With all the wind on top of the mountain, Naruto could detect the faint smell of blood.

"Do you really want me to discuss business right now? Isn't that what those inane meetings in your office are for?"

Naruto had to laugh at that "Haha, yeah, fuck. Guess we have one of those tomorrow. And lots of bullshit paperwork to fill out, as usual."

"Hmm. Why are you out so late?"

Naruto turned to Sasuke and grinned, "I felt you also couldn't sleep after you came home, figured I would come welcome you."

Sasuke stared at the other man for a long moment, taking him in. The rumbled sweats, the more rumbled than usual blonde hair, that cheerful grin looking back at him. Slightly uncomfortable with eye contact, looked down at his black gloved hand.

"Well when ruling the country goes to shit because of that habit, don't blame me."

Naruto laughed again, standing up and offering Sasuke an arm. "Nah, I won't let the country fall to shit for another ten years at least. Or until you know, another horde of zombies fights us or something"

Sasuke snorted and ignored the hand, pushing himself up. "What am I, a girl?"

"Fuck you I was being nice! Speaking of nice things I was going to offer you, did you want to come back to my house?"

About a year ago, Naruto started offering the spare bedroom of his luxurious new Hokage accommodations to Sasuke when he came back from missions. Even though the invitation always stood, he always asked as a formality of sorts. But the other man never said no, for Naruto knew Sasuke's barren apartment was nothing he was eager to get back to. He craved the company since their schedules do not allow them to visit as often as he would like.

"Sure."

Sasuke noted Naruto's happy smile in the moonlight at his answer.

"Awesome! Race you back!" With that Naruto took off at full speed, disappearing from sight.

With a small smile on his lips, Sasuke took off after him.

* * *

Laying in his own bed again, alone, Naruto's could hear the sound of the shower going. He knew Sasuke was rinsing off the grime and filth of the mission, both literally and figuratively. This act was not unusual, Sasuke even kept spare clothing in the extra bedroom without ever asking. Naruto only just realized this recently when he found a white shirt with a small Uchiha symbol embroidered into the collar in his laundry. It would seem silly to make comment on the action now.

The shower stopped, and after a few minutes, a soft knock at entrance way of his room. Naruto looked up, seeing his friend standing in clean clothes with wet hair in the doorway.

"Whatsup?" Naruto sat up in his bed, swinging his legs over so they touched the floor

Sasuke approached him, handing over a small medic kit. "Can you bandage me up? I can't reach it."

"Yeah, of course." He scooted over as Sasuke sat down to his right and pulled the hem of his shirt up slightly, revealing a small but deep gash on his left side. Naruto opened the kit and pulled out gauze and tape, as well as a small alcohol pad. This was also not an unusual occurrence. Sasuke told Naruto bitterly around two years ago, that he would have to stop using his sharingan except in exceptional circumstances, for doctors predicted he would go blind before thirty if he did. This resulted in more injuries, ones that Sasuke privately kept to himself.

"Why don't you go to Sakura to have this kinda thing handled, huh?"

Sasuke turned his head around and raised a single thin eyebrow in a deadpan look before twisting his neck away.

"At this hour? Not likely."

"Yeah, she would probably think you were there for some sort of love confession, haha."

Naruto set to work cleaning the little bit of remaining dried blood off of Sasuke's pale back with the pad slowly. Sasuke made no indication of discomfort, so Naruto went ahead and attached the bandage.

"Hn."

"Why don't you ask her out, anyway? Pretty sure she still loves you, ya know."

Naruto having finished, Sasuke lowered his shirt back down and stood up, giving him another look devoid of expression. He was good at those, to Naruto's frustration.

"And why haven't you asked Hinata out then?"

Naruto reddened slightly, fussing with the medical kit and quickly stuffing the remaining supplies and trash inside it. "Well, you know, I guess… I mean she's beautiful and smart, but…"

"But what?" Sasuke's tone was tired. Naruto looked up, and hadn't noticed before the dark circles under his friend's eyes. He became suddenly aware that it was nearing four in the morning, and both men had things to do tomorrow.

"I just don't have that connection with her like that, I guess."

"Well there you go, idiot".

Naruto bristled at the response. "Don't call me an idiot! Don't you have a clan to revive and or some shit?"

Sasuke shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly, replying, "That's no longer a goal of mine, anymore. I'm going to let the clan die with me. Then nothing evil can ever come of it again."

Naruto was aghast at the seriousness of the answer, "Do you really mean that, Sasuke? Be alone forever?"

Sasuke was already walking away, waving a hand lazily in the air behind him, reminiscent of their former Sensei. "Yeah, I do. Night."

Naruto looked at his empty doorway, light blue eyes wide in shock. 'How could Sasuke really mean that," he thought to himself. He laid back in his bed, setting the medic kit on his nightstand and drawing the covers to his chest.

The lights in his room were still on, but Naruto suddenly felt too tired to get back up and turn them off. He raised his right hand in the air, looking at his downturned palm. He felt a slight tinge of exhaustion and loneliness, but the raven haired man had always been good a hiding his emotions.

"But what are you really thinking about, eh, Sasuke?"

* * *

Next Chapter will be up in about a week, folks, perhaps sooner if bugged :]. I'm thinking perhaps a five part series.


	2. Chapter 2

Guys, I literally have nothing to do since my husband works all day while I'm stuck in between jobs. So I wrote this a week early, haha. Pretty much entirely this afternoon.

Please let me know if anything sounds off/any corrections I need to make! Reviews always appreciated!

* * *

There were too many people in his office and Naruto was tired of adult responsibilities. It was a little past noon, and he had woken up especially early this morning for a long training session and meditation in the forest surrounding the village. He tried to keep his skills especially sharp now that he had a deep seeded fear that a mainly office oriented job would make him soft. However, this resulting in him having to wake up very early, a deed Naruto had spent most of his 23 years on earth trying to avoid.

Shikamaru, his lead advisor, smacked his desk, and drawled, "Look alive, Naruto. The mist village's advisor is on the way up right now."

"Yeah, I know, I know." Naruto groaned, and sat up slightly. He tried his best to smooth the wrinkles in his Hokage overcoat, which he wore over the typical uniform of a Jonin. In the spitting image of his father, the coat was emblazoned with flames as well. The large kanji letters for "six" started right between his shoulder blades.

Shikamaru ushered out the rest of the staff out the door, their arms holding precarious stacks of paperwork. Sakura, another important advisor, stopped by his desk, leaning in close. Naruto smiled at his former teamate, her now long pink hair tied back showing her startling bright green eyes.

"Have you been getting enough sleep, eh, Naruto?" Sakura asked in genuine concern.

Naruto brushed the question off nonchalantly, laughing as he did so. "Don't worry about me, Sakura-chan. I'm just fine. Too much stuff going on, you know? Haha."

Her brow wrinkled in concern, not entirely convinced. "Yeah, with running the village and everything, I would expect. I'll be happy to help out more here and less at the hospital if you need me."

"You don't need to do that," Naruto replied, although warmed by her offer. He was glad they remained such good friends over the years. "Its almost as sweet of an offer as you!"

Sakura smacked in the arm playfully. "Oh shush. I'll be here tomorrow then!"

Sakura turned around and left, and Shikamaru made a move to close the door. Right as he did so, a small brown haired man in long grey robes entered the room. He looked to be in his late fifties, with long shadows under his eyes. Naruto expected weary tidings from this one, and internally prepared himself.

However, Naruto stood up, suddenly feeling the familiar burst of energy to want to do his job as well as possible. "You must be Reki, the mist villages chief advisor! I am Uzamaki Naruto, and this is my advisor Nara Shikamaru." He stood and extended his hand to shake, and the other man smiled and did so vigorously.

"Its an honor to meet you, sir. I've heard so much about you."

Naruto sat and leaned back in his chair, smiling with his hands behind his head.

"Ahh shucks, good things, I hope."

Reki sat as well in the small wooden chair in front of Naruto's desk. "Of course, sir, many great things. Unfortunately the tidings I have to bring are not so wonderful. It has come to our attention that someone has stolen one of the great seven swords, and we have reason's to believe that rouge is on the lookout to collect more. We would take care of the problem ourselves, naturally, but ever since the great war our Shinobi are not strong enough to handle the problem. We would compensate generously, of course. We simply cannot run the risk of this kind of issue getting out of hand. "

"Well, damn, that ain't good. Hmm…"

Of course it had to be something like that, Naruto thought to himself. Wonderful.

Shikamaru gave another exhausted look in his direction at the use of such informal language in front of a guest, but refrained from making a comment.

"We'll assemble a squad of intelligence personal to start investigating the problem. We want to make sure we have the more accurate leads as possible before we take any action, " Naruto said. Sometimes Shikamaru was surprised with the analytical way Naruto could look at problems.

"Of course. I will have a briefing time over with everything we have as soon as possible. But do you have anyone in mind who would be capable of tracking down and accosting such a rouge?"

Naruto's palm tingled, and he tried his best to hide his smile and surprise. On cue as usual….

"I believe I'll be handling that". Sasuke said, suddenly appearing in the back of the office.

"How long has be been standing there?!" The advisor looked visible startled at the idea of being snuck up on.

"Long enough."

Naruto groaned, " God dammit, Sasuke, can you please stop scaring important people?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and didn't dignify the answer with a response. He was clad in his ANBU garb, with his typical Uchiha takes on it. The silver vest and arm plates were gone, in place of a sleeveless black tunic with his clan's symbol on the back, and long black fingerless gloves.

Naruto could hear Shikamaru sigh from the opposite side of the room, "Although its troublesome, Advisor Reki, we'll take care of the problem. As you can see, the solution decided to come barging in here. This is Uchiha Sasuke, the head of one of our most important black ops units. He will be handling this mission, as he said."

"Oh my, well. An Uchiha? I have heard many things about you too."

Sasuke cocked his head slightly, saying in a cool voice, "Oh? Good."

Reki gave a look of indignation at that, and Naruto caught Sasuke looking at him with a small smile at his lips. He couldn't help but smile too, and stood up, shaking the advisors hand again as an indication that the meeting was now over.

"We'll take care of it in no time, believe me!"

* * *

Later that evening, like most every evening when Sasuke was in town, the two of them were back at Naruto's place. The Hokage's quarters have a very comfortable living area, even if it was sparsely decorated. Naruto didn't care much for furniture, although there were several photographs and his father's old coat and hat hanging on the white walls. Seated at the couch with a small chessboard between them, Naruto was growing increasingly frustrated.

"This game is boring and it sucks."

"You are just saying that because you're bad at it. Not my fault."

"Ugh, shut up. Chess is for old people."

"Well, I am an adult. Not sure about you, though."

Naruto moved to kick Sasuke in the shin. "Fuck you, asshole."

Sasuke moved his leg away before he could do so, smugly saying, "Better luck next time."

"Blehhh…" Naruto grunted and pushed a white knight around his remaining pieces, knocking them over intentionally.

"If you don't feel like playing anymore, I'm going to bed." Sasuske stated, pushing the chess board away and made the motion to stand up.

"Wait."

"What?" Sasuke sounded genuinely curious. The lightness of his tone gave Naruto the courage to press forward with something that has remained on his mind for a long time. Still, he awkwardly looked down at his hands.

"Can you feel my emotions through here? I mean, ever since that day…" Naruto asked. To Sasuke, the question must seem to come out of nowhere. Furrowing his brow, he turned over his right hand, showing Sasuke his palm. Suddenly the air around them felt heavy with tension, as if he had waited a long time for the answer to this question and was scared to ever hear the response.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah. So what?"

"I don't know.. I just feel like you have nothing to live for anymore… no dreams… and .."

Sasuke's expression showed nothing but Naruto felt in his hand slow burning anger. He cut him off. "What the fuck is that supported to mean?"

"So I'm fucking worried for you, bastard!"

"Why the hell are you worried? It's not your problem."

"I'm worried because I care! You can want to believe it or not but people actually still want you to be happy, Sasuke."

Sasuke's dark grey eyes flashed with derision as he sneered, "Fuck you. I don't need your fucking sympathy or your goddamn feelings." He turned to leave the room.

The chessboard and peices scattered against the wooden floor with audible smacks, and then there was silence for the briefest of moments.

Naruto slammed Sasuke into the wall, grabbing handfuls of his navy shirt and glared up into his eyes. "Shut the fuck up. Just shut up, for once in your fucking life let something good fucking happen to you."

Sasuke's left arm came up in a hook shot, hitting Naruto square in the cheek. Naruto reeled his head back, cursing, but held his firm grip on the other's shirt, and shook the slightly taller man even harder.

"Is that the best you can do, bastard?" And suddenly they were both on the floor, kicking, punching aimlessly, each grunting and pushing the other back with each blow. Sasuke gasped as his head hit the coffee table, and drew up his knee to give a hard blow to Naruto's chest, causing him to double over. Sasuke took his chance to stand up, but Naruto lunged up, grabbing Sasuke around the waist and slamming him down on the floor again. Pinning his arms against his sides, Naruto swung his leg over Sasuke's body and held him down tight as the other man struggled.

Straddling the other man, Naruto pressed his lips to Sasuke's forcefully, and on purpose unlike the other time they shared a kiss. Their mouths fell open, inexperienced lips fumbling together and Naruto noticed that Sasuke tasted like cold steel and familiarity. Sasuke lay slack against Naruto's hold as their open mouths wrestled against one another. Suddenly, he pulled back, panting, dropping his forehead to Sasuke's shoulder as he caught his breath. The other man laid still beneath him, his chest rising and falling under Naruto's body.

Naruto raised his head, and brought his hand from Sasuke's wrist to cup his forehead. He looked at Sasuke's shocked face, his inky black bangs sticky with sweat under his fingers and eyes wide open as he also caught his breath. His hand looked shockingly tan resting on such pale skin. Blue eyes met grey for a long time, before Naruto spoke.

"I protect the village, and you protect those outside coming to hurt the village. We work together and die together, ok? It's always been our destiny. It's just you and me in everything, alright? You are never alone, alright?"

Sasuke's eyes met his fiercely, but the look was not a challenging one. He said nothing, but a strong grip came up on the back of Naruto's head and in wound his fingers of his now free hand in blonde hair. It hurt, but the pain felt real true and he held the other's gaze still, while saying, almost inaudibly,

"Alright."

* * *

So I don't know how quickly the next chapter will be out, but I know it will be soon!

3


	3. Chapter 3

Hey dear ones!~ Sorry this chapter is a bit late. Had a hell of a weekend moving across the state, and am only still getting settled into a new house.

I hope you all like the chapter, it is a kind of strange in between one. Comment a let me know what you think!

* * *

Naruto woke to the sound of pans clinking in his kitchen in the complete dark of his bedroom. He opened one eye and groaned, he never used to be such a light sleeper. Living with Sasuke tended to rub off on a person. Waking before the crack of dawn was such a him thing to do, that bastard.

But he was leaving today, and while Naruto appreciated the consideration of being allowed to sleep, he couldn't let him sneak out as usual without saying goodbye. Pulling crumbled sweatpants off the floor with one arm, he flung them over and ontop of his bare chest. Wrestling them on over his boxers while still lying down was not easy, but he wanted to maximize his time in bed, so he managed.

Three months after their first kiss, the awkwardness of a burdening relationship, especially one with two both completely inexperienced parties, had almost passed. Akwardness aside, Naruto was learning that sex with Sasuke tended to be slightly painful. Hard biting, being thrown against walls or tables, and choking tended to be common. But after the content barrage of Naruto's affections, he could tell barriers around Sasuke's cold behavior had started to crack. He could feel it in every initiated kiss, leaning in to a touch, and smiles that showed the tiniest bits of teeth.

Naruto walked into the kitchen softly, although the creaking of the heavy kitchen door gave him away. Sasuke stood at the stove, dressed all in black. His shirt was long-sleeved and boots close toted due to the chilly January air. He hadn't bothered to turn at Naruto's arrival.

"Could you seriously wake up any earlier? Christ." Naruto yawned loudly, pushing himself up to sit on the countertop.

"Yes, actually." Sasuke was wrapping a plate in plastic wrap before setting it in the fridge.

Since they had decided wordlessly to move in together, Naruto noticed the extra plates of food. Sasuke had no personal belongings besides clothing or weapons, and left the house virtually untouched. Yet dishes would show up in the fridge wrapped in plastic, and Naruto knew the extra meals were for him. Cooking seemed to be Sasuke's unspoken way of saying thank you, a gesture very much appreciated.

"Who are you taking with you this time?"

"Just Juugo and Sai. Suigetsu is with Karin right now since they just had their baby."

"Oh yeah…" Naruto yawned, and rested the back of his head against the cabinet behind him. "Forgot about that."

"She's your cousin. You probably shouldn't. " Sasuke walked past him with another plate, and sat down at the kitchen table.

"I'll go visit soon, don't nag. Unless you want to come with me?"

Sasuke gave him a glancing side eye which the blonde took for a resounding 'no' to that inquiry.

"I know, I know, stupid question. But I'll bet she'll make you hold it someday and get her revenge."

Naruto watched him eat as slowly and carefully as always. Sasuke's hair was still wet from his shower, black spikes sticking to his forehead and framing his face messily. Even if these moment occured at ungodly hours of the morning, Naruto loved being able to see Sasuke this way. He had a newfound appreciation for the small moments like this that they shared, even if they were in silence. He truly felt that for the first time in perhaps both of their lives, they would relax and just be themselves. The tattoo on his right hand felt of peace, and he smiled.

"Do I want to know what you are smiling at?" Sasuke's voice sounded exhausted as he cleared his plate and set the dish in the sink.

Naruto hopped down off the counter, saying cheekily, "Nothing important."

Sasuke was pulling on his thick winter cloak around his shoulders. "I'm leaving then." Grabbing his katana from its resting position on the kitchen table, he tucked it into the sheath on his back.

"Bah, ok. Where's my proper goodbye, eh?"

"Goodbyes are stupid."

Naruto walked up to his raven haired lover, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him in for a kiss. "You're stupid. Shut up."

Sasuke relented to the kiss for a brief moment before backing away. He looked Naruto dead in the eye for a pause before pulling up the hood of his cloak and turning for the front door.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"….That's not much."

The door closed with a dull thud and a audible click, and he was gone.

* * *

Today was a rare day without too much paperwork or visitors so Naruto decided to play hooky. Honestly, escaping boring responsibilities was something he perfected as a child and never gave up as an adult. Feeling reminiscent, he decided to go the long way to Ichiraku's by passing through the yard of the academy. By the looks of the deserted schoolyard, class must have gotten let out a bit early. Unless there was some sort of holiday. Was it? Naruto racked his brain.

So lost in his thoughts was he that he almost walked straight into the body of his former sensei, had the gray haired man not poked him in the chest first.

"Ow! Hey what was that f.." Naruto looked up. "Oh shit! I totally did not see you there, Kakashi!"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Better be more vigilant, Mr. Hokage."

Naruto grinned and put his hands behind his head. "I'll try! Whatcha doing down here today? I thought you had some new students."

"I do. I was just taking a walk since I let the kids have an off day."

"Gotcha. I'll walk with ya then, I'm not doing anything either." Naruto started walking again, and Kakashi fell into place next to him, hands in pockets.

"So, how's the new students?"

"Oh, the usual. Two hotheaded little boys and a clever girl. Not quite as bad as you and Sasuke, though." Kakashi said genially.

Naruto laughed, "That's good. Things are pretty good between us now, though. Better than ever actually"

As soon as the words fell from lips, Naruto wished he could eat them back up. 'Shit', he thought. 'I've said too much.' He began to sweat even under his thick vest and overcoat. He hadn't told anyone about the relationship that had formed between the two of them.

Kakashi paused. "….You don't say."

"Well, em…" Naruto gulped and decided to go for it. He shouldn't have anything to hide. He was happy, dammit! People should know.

"Yes?"

"Uhh…. well me and Sauske are kind of together and… erm…living together I think….but no one knows and I know that's a shock " Naruto stubbled to get the words out, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with his right hand. "And..yeah thats pretty much it."

"Together as in dating, right?" Kakashi's fought to keep a straight face, voice filled with mirth.

"Uh yeah, I guess you would call it that.. umm..I mean we never talked about it, so.."

Kakashi stopped walking and turned to face him, his expression held back in an emotionless deadpan.

"Wait, so you thought I believed you when you spent more than four years of your life chasing Sasuke for heterosexual reasons?"

Naruto looked horrified, his mouth flapping open and closed like a fish. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

Kakashi signed deeply and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling in faux exasperation. "Naruto, I spent years watching you have panic attacks, getting beaten up and crying over the boy. I knew. Everyone knew, you two just needed some time to figure it out."

Naruto almost choked on his own spit at that. "Everyone knew?"

He pretended to think for a moment. "Lets see... Pretty much." Kakashi continued walking.

"Oh." Naruto felt slightly relieved, until he remembered something. "Wait! What about Sakura?"

"…..I might tell her just to be safe."

"Fuck."

"Don't worry." Kakashi trailed off to the left side of the road. "She's a big girl now, so I wouldn't worry. But this is my stop."

"Oh, ok." Naruto waved to the mask man. "Thanks for the uh, acceptance I guess, haha."

Kakashi smiled wide, his one exposed eye upturned. "Good luck!"

Naruto continued down the main road of the city, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 'Well, that was easy.' He felt as if a great pressure had been lifted from his shoulders. Feeling a jolt of energy and happiness, Naruto made small talk with the villagers all the way home. He didn't mind that he gained respectful looks of admiration and love from the people instead of the ones of hatred as a child. It didn't matter any longer, for the life he had earned for himself was great. He finally had everything he ever wanted. As he made his way back to his apartment, village girls stole looks at the tanned, handsome blonde, who always returned their smiles warmly.

Fire emblazoned jacket billowing behind him, Naruto felt like the luckiest man in the universe.

* * *

Naruto wished a little bit of the confidence he had earlier that day would steep back as the moment of reckoning was upon him.

Saskura had agreed to meet him at a small cafe in the center of town for dinner that evening. The ambiance was casual yet lively, with colorful streamers decorating the ceiling. He couldn't stop himself from fidgeting at the small table for two. She arrived in a long red dress, her pale pink hair falling around her shoulders. Smiling wide, she made her way to Naruto's table after recognizing his shock of blonde hair.

"Naruto! Sorry I kept you waiting." She took a seat and set her jacket over the chair back. "The hospital kept me later than usual today, some sort of flu has been going around to the kids these days."

Naruto grinned at her, "Its no problem. Although I totally had about two beers already. Whoops."

"Well then I am drinking too!" Sakura picked up the menu and scanned for drink specials.

"One step ahead of you," Naruto pushed a bottle toward her, a light beer that he knew was Sakura's favorite.

"Oh thanks!"

In between sips, Sakura eyed Naruto shifting in his seat with what appeared to be nervousness. "Are you ok? I know we haven't seen each other often these past few months, if everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine.."

"Well, what is it? Your message to meet you here seemed kind of urgent." Sakura seemed concerned now, tilting her head to the side.

Naruto took a deep breath. Might as well plunge in headfirst, right?

"Yeah I wanted to tell you..Me and Sasuke are together. Like.. more than friends. Like dating. Although we are still friends… I mean, I hope we are." he was babbling and knew it, yet seemed to be unable to stop himself.

"And I'm really sorry and I don't want you to hate me but I wanted you to know because I took him from you… I didn't mean to but it happened so yeah…"

Naruto raised his beer in front of him and drained it quickly, wishing it was stronger and bracing himself for the punch that would probably kill him.

However, it never came. Sakura smiled and leaned her head back, letting out a small musical laugh. "Oh Naruto! I mean, I really hope you didn't think I was still waiting around for him?"

Naruto blinked, his bright blue eyes open with surprise.

"You… you weren't?"

Sasuke shook her head, "No, of course not. I still love him of course, with all my heart. But its the same love I have for you, Naruto." She placed her hand on top of his and squeezed gently. "Like a brother, who I can always depend on. I haven't had those feelings for him for years. Many years, now."

"Oh"

"I mean at first, it was very hard to get over..but really, you were the only one who waited for him the way you thought I was. I guess you two were waiting for each other. I really am happy for you." She looked in his eyes, and smiled. "Plus, I am seeing someone."

Naruto was shocked, saying a little too loudly "What?! Who?"

Sakura shushed him, but had a secretive smile on her lips. "Someone at the hospital. We don't want to make a big deal about it until we are more official. It's still pretty casual."

"Casual? Like sleeping around together or something?"

Blushing, she blurted out, "Maybe."

Naruto was filled with amazement. "Wow, Sakura-chan. I never knew you were dating and sleeping around and stuff."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "You know, Naruto, Just because you and Sasuke spent your whole lives waiting around for each other to make a move doesn't mean the rest of the world does." She tossed her hair haughtily over her shoulder. "I'm a grown women, and its normal."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Its funny how that happened, right?"

"No less funnier than letting you run the country!" Sakura shot back, laughing.

"Hey! I'm good at it!"

"Its true." Sakura drank the last of her beer, setting it down next to Naruto's. "I'm glad we made it this far. But Naruto.…"

"Yeah?"

"Make him happy," she softly insisted.

"That, Sakura-chan, is a promise."

* * *

It was late at night about a month later, the February air coming in through the open window was refreshingly cool instead of bitterly cold. Naruto walked softly throughout the house, turning the lights off before finding his way to his bedroom. Orange lounge pants dangled precariously low on his otherwise naked body. Stifling a huge yawn, he shut the door softly.

Sasuke was fast asleep in their bed on his side with his back turned. Slipping under the covers, Naruto laid down carefully as not to wake him. He had come home about six hours earlier, going through his usual routine of fucking Naruto fast and hard over the kitchen table, showering, and taking a long nap. He would sleep until morning and cook breakfast for the two of them, and their routine would continue as if no time had passed. Slightly sore, Naruto shifted around to find a comfortable position on his side.

The light from the window above the bed illuminated the bedroom well, bathing everything in a bluish tint. Sasuk'es red anbu tattoo looked black against Sasuke's skin, and Naruto moved closer, propping his head up on one hand. He liked watching the raven haired man, and felt he couldn't ever get enough of the sight of him, here and real and in his bed so often. The sight of curve of his neck and back in the moonlight filled his stomach with warm hazy feelings. He lazily reached a finger up and gently moved it down a particularly nasty scar on Sasuke's shoulder blade.

His back was covered in scars, like the rest of his body. They were hardly noticeable things, stretched white on a background of slightly darker pale skin. Naruto never had any himself, due to the healing properties of the demon vessel sealed inside of him. It made the sight of Sasuke's seem exotic and gave his lithe body character. He loved Sasuke's scars, he would bug him for hours about how he got each one if he felt the other man would let him.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke's voice was groggy, and it made Naruto smile, leaning closer. He rested his head in between Sasuke's shoulder blades.

"Nothing." Naruto fingers trailed up his spine and neck slowly, burying themselves in silky black hair.

"Hmm."

"Just touching you." He placed a chaste kiss to the nape of Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke rolled over onto his back at that and turned his head to the side, a faint smile at his lips. "Oh?" His arm rested on Naruto's waist, and he pulled their hips together. The blonde grinned, pulling his body closer.

"Yeah, I'm going to top you." Naruto announced.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and gave him a blank look that was hideously annoying.

"Are you, now?"

"Its my turn!" Naruto straddled Sasuke, and placed slow, deliberate kisses from his ear to collarbone. His neck was his weakness, and Naruto liked to exploit it as much as possible. "You always love it."

"Shut up, idiot." Sasuke cooly remarked, yet moved his neck to allow for further venturing.

"I'll even suck your cock, ok?" The kisses turned into bites, and Naruto felt Sasuke arch his back, pressing their chest closer together. Biting was his favorite.

Suddenly, Sasuke pulled Naruto up sharply by grabbing fistfuls of blonde hair, and smirked as he looked into his eyes. "You would do that anyway."

Naruto grinned wide, and leaned down for a proper kiss. Their mouths opened hungrily against each other before biting wickedly on Sasuke's lower lip. His right hand trailed down the taut chest beneath him.

"Yeah, you got me…"

Later that night as Sasuke slept beside him once more, Naruto recalled something that made him too elated to sleep just yet. When the blonde was fully seated inside of him and started to move, Sasuke had grabbed his hand. As their left and right hands intertwined with their tattoo's touching, Naruto had felt a sudden overwhelming rush of a warm sensation he knew could only possibly be love.

In that moment, Naruto had felt complete.

* * *

Chapter 4 will be up as soon as possible 3


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey loves!** I'm so sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter out. With starting classes back up at university and moving and a lot of personal stuff going on, I got really distracted. Of course I wrote another drabble fic instead of updating this because I'm a horrible person. Its posted on this account if you would like to read it, however :]

I had awful writers block getting this out, so I hope it turned out ok. Let me know what you guys think!

* * *

Spring was Naruto's favorite time of year. Greenery surrounded his office, and the sweet smell of cherry blossoms floated in from the open window. It would have been peaceful, were not the small bundle of nerves bunched in his gut at this particular moment. He sat on his large oak desk with his coat in a heap beside him.

Naruto grinned sheepishly at his close friend. "I'm just a little bit nervous, haha. Never done this kinda speech thing before."

Shikamaru groaned and rolled his eyes. "You're the village's leader. Everyone just wants you to say a few words, thats all. I know its a big pain."

"Yeah, yeah I know. Totally forgot to plan something so I just have to wing what I say. By the way, you're getting married like that?!" Naruto said, glancing down at Shikamaru's outfit with a surprised expression on his face.

Shikamaru looked down at his black suit, sans tie and dress shoes. He chose instead to forgo these things in favor of an open collared shirt and sandals. His hair was tied in its usual ponytail, and his bored expression was firmly in place.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Looks so informal, I dunno. I guess I've never been to a wedding before, though."

"It's fine. We need to get going. I really don't want Temari to yell at me and we haven't even gotten hitched yet."

Naruto donned his Hokage jacket and straightened his black forehead protector, flashing a smile.

"Yeah, that would start this out on the wrong foot, wouldn't it? Lets go!"

* * *

The wedding was beautiful, actually. They had managed to not be late, and Temari looked radiant in her white dress and long sparkling veil. It was held in a large clearing in the middle of the village, with lights and lanterns stung about overhead. Half of the village had attended, including a fair amount of family and Shinobi from the Sand village. Naruto's little speech had gone well, and his nerves fizzled into happiness as he reconnected with old friends. Gaara and he had quite the animated conversation about the perks of ruling a country.

Speaking of friends, where was his boyfriend? Naruto scanned the large crowd. He knew the other man would show up regardless of pointedly ignoring the blonde every time he brought the subject up. He looked towards the edge of the party, knowing that would turn up the quickest results. Bingo, Naruto sniggered to himself. Predictable as usual, he spotted Sasuke's signature hairstyle at the very back of the event. He quickly pushed his way through the throngs of people.

Sasuke's arms were crossed in front of his Anbu uniform. For once he happened to be wearing the proper gloves, vest and arm guards for the sake for formality. He looked bored, but his expressionless face could have been hiding anything, really. He raised an eyebrow at the approaching of his golden haired lover. Rakish grin in place, Naruto leaned in and whispered into a pale ear.

"Dance with me, Sasuke."

Sasuke actually gave him a look that implied Naruto had literally lost his mind. "Hell no."

"You're boring as shit, come have fun."

"I am having fun."

Naruto actually felt that statement was true due to the tingling of contentment he felt in his right hand. Still, was is so bad to want a a dance with your significant other? He rolled his eyes dramatically, and pulled on the older man's sleeve.

"At least stand with me and pretend to want to talk to people."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Well you did try to kill me like five times, so you owe me." Naruto pointed out, his blue eyes glittering wickedly.

"….I don't think it works that way."

Despite his protests, Sasuke allowed himself to be tugged away from the sidelines and into the celebration. Naruto grabbed a bottle of champagne and started fighting a path to the newly wedded couple. After they exchanged words with the newlyweds, both men gravitated toward the edge of the group surrounding the happy couple. They stood with close together but not touching, passing the bottle back in forth. The two made a formidable looking pair, with Sasuke donned in black and silver and Naruto with his wild golden hair and billowing white coat.

"You two look really good together."

Sasuke turned, and looked down into smiling green eyes. His expression softened as he recognized his former teammate. Her pink hair was done up in elaborate curls, and she was wearing a shimmering green kimono that made her jade eyes pop.

"Thanks, Sakura."

"Enjoying the wedding?"

Sasuke passed her the bottle, and shrugged his shoulders in a non committal gesture. She took it and lifted the neck, the same time Naruto decided to join in and toss a forceful arm around her shoulders.

"Sakura!"

"Naruto I almost spilled this!"

"S'okay. Don't worry about it." Naruto took the bottle from her hands and took a huge swig as he looked her up and down obviously. "You look hot."

"Naruto! Sasuke is right there!" Sakura punched the arm wrapped around her shoulders as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"He's being lame and won't dance with me."

"Well I won't either! You're drunk!"

"What? That's not fair, I want to dance, damn it!"

Sasuke sighed a long suffering sigh as the two bickered like old fishwives. "I'm leaving."

Blue and Green eyes watched his back retreat in unison toward the other side of the wedding celebration. Naruto took that as his cue to hastily say his farewells to Sakura and take off after him. Once he caught up, he grabbed Sasuke's arm. As the black haired man turned to him, he expected a short annoyed rejection but was instead met with a faint smile.

"Let's go home."

Naruto gave him a wolfish grin. "Home? Yeah, let's go home. I can think of some better things to do with you."

The smile turned into a smirk and Sasuke turned on his heel.

They continued walking past the throngs of people until they found a deserted alley that led to Naruto's apartment. When they were out of direct eyesight of the party, Naruto found himself pushed up the rough brick wall with amused eyes staring right into his.

"What things?" Sasuke's quiet voice had a hint of amusement in it, and Naruto felt his tattoo burn with desire. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck, and lifted his lips to Sasuke's ear. He felt arms fingers digging into his hips hard enough to bruise.

"That depends on you, now. If you're good I'll let you fuck me."

"I can be good." Sasuke's mouth descended on his in a clash of teeth. Their mouths moved in a practiced ritual as their tongues tangled together for dominance. Naruto buried his fingers in handfuls of silky black hair and pulled, feeling quite satisfied with the appreciated groan it received. Sasuke ground his hips into Naruto's, who found himself literally pinned between a rock and a hard place. It became his turn to gasp as Sasuke's hands traveled downwards, roughly groping his ass over his pants and jacket.

Naruto pulled his mouth away, his eyes dark with playful lust. "I don't know about that, S'uke. You should suck my cock right now to prove it to me."

To his absolute surprise, Sasuke did.

* * *

The next morning thrust Naruto back into regularly scheduled programming.

Maybe he had drank a little too much last night, because his head was killing him. Man, when did the light coming through those big bay windows become so bright? Naruto rested his head in his folded arms and sank down into his plush office chair.

"Look lively, chief." Kakashi's voice drawled lazily from somewhere in the room. He had taken Shikamaru's place while he was away on his honeymoon.

Naruto sat up straight in his chair and hurriedly pushed his slipping forehead protector back into place. Just then, the door to his office burst open, and Raido, one of his members of the intelligence division, bust through the door unceremoniously.

"Hokage, there is something important you have to see." Raido's voice was calm but his words were urgent. His scarred face gave no indication of what he might be thinking.

Naruto pushed his chair back from his desk, brow furrowed. "What is it?"

"There has been disturbing discovery by the black ops division this morning, sir. Come with me." Raido gestured with his hand out of the door, and bowed his head slightly. He waited respectfully for Naruto to come to him. Kakashi nodded to Naruto, indicating he would wait and watch over the office in his absence.

Naruto was around the desk and briskly walked with the officer. The walk led throughout the Hokage tower and into the tunnels separating it from the intelligence division and Anbu offices. The further the decent into the tunnels, the air cold and tingled with a stale, faint order. They arrived at a heavily guarded door that was shielded by two Anbu members in flak jackets and grim expressions. Naruto pressed past them silently and opened the door, unsure of what might lay inside. The lights were bright however, so it was not hard to see what had been so urgent.

Naruto had seen gore before; he had killed and seen people die. Blood and guts didn't phase him in the slightest. However, nothing could exactly prepare him for the shock of seeing a man lying on a metal gurney whose eyes were simply missing. Blank, bloody sockets stare emptily at the ceiling out of an otherwise unmarred face of a man. Naruto averted his eyes respectfully, but his brows furrowed in confusion. The emblem on the sleeve of the jacket, a yellow single with a single orange flame marked the unknown man to be a member of the Hyuga clan.

"What is the meaning of this?" Naruto asked, turning to Raido with his brow furrowed in confusion. He has an uneasy feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach.

"Anbu operatives found this man, identified as Ko Hyuga, in the forests of northern Konaha about 20 kilometers from the village early this morning. We have kept on gathering evidence of a team of highly dangerous S-ranked criminals attacking the neighboring shinobi, sir. They have already murdered about 12 elite from sand and mist territories." Raido explained.

"I already knew that. What I want to know is why they have not been taken out already as promised by our allies, as they should have done months ago." Naruto's voice was impatient. He did not come all the way down here to rehash old topics. Terrorists were not a new adversary.

"They are proving trickier to kill, and their objectives are just being unveiled. As you can see, Hyuga's eyes here had been removed. It appears they are more than just simple terrorists, sir. They are collecting the eyes of those with powerful dojutsu techniques. It would seem these criminals are taking out those who have them to try to use for themselves." Raido's voice remained impassive, although he lifted an eyebrow to Naruto's expression of disgust as realization dawned on him.

Naruto swallowed, his tongue feeling heavy and thick in his mouth. "And how many are there?"

"About 7 of them from what we have calculated."

"And who are we going to send to take care of this?" Naruto asked, dreading the answer he knew was coming.

"We need Uchiha Sasuke on this mission, sir. His abilities are the only thing that could be prepared for handling a situation like this. His own dojutsu techniques will be able to unveil theirs. There is no other way. No other members of the Hyuga clan are able enough to take on such a task."

Naruto shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. He's going to be a direct target for someone as dangerous as this. He is the last living Sharingan user, besides Kakashi. I'm not going to risk on of the villages best shinobi and put in him that situation."

"We already asked him, sir. He and his Anbu team discovered the body and brought it here, actually." Raido said nonchalantly. Naruto could have sworn he felt his heart jump with dread at the words. He itched to leave this stale room and get as far away from this cold room with a cold, dead body in it as quickly as possible.

"When was that, exactly?"

"About two hours ago."

The jump turned into a heavy brick of foreboding.

"And Sasuke?"

"Should be preparing to leave, sir."

* * *

Naruto kicked opened his front door with such force he almost broke a hinge. Sasuke looked up from his position on the couch, where he was polishing his beloved katana. A confused expression passed over his pale face, his brows knitted together.

"What's with you?"

Naruto stalked over, controlling his voice as best as he could. "Why didn't you tell me you were taking that mission? Why didn't you tell me you were about to leave?"

Sasuke looked back down at the task at hand, his voice as calm as if Naruto had casually mentioned the weather was nice that day.

"Why would I?"

"Because I'm your Hokage, asshole. But more than that even, we live together, you should have said something when it happened."

"Why?" Sasuke's voice was annoyed now, and he set his cleaning tools aside as he stood.

"Because thats what people who are together do! You actually have conversations about things, especially if those things are important and could possibly lead to your death." Narutos eye's flashed with anger.

Sasuke cocked his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. "Tell me the real reason you're mad, Naruto."

"I don't want you to take this mission."

"Oh?" Sasuke's face remained impassive, but the tingle in Naruto's palm allowed him to feel barely contained anger. "Why?"

"I'm sure you have already made up your mind to go anyway, But you are a target, Sasuke. They want you, they want your eyes, and the rest of the intelligence division doesn't mind putting you out there as bait, which is so fucked up to me but I can't make them understand…I can't, as your leader, put you in that position. I'm not going to take that risk without trying to stop you first." Naruto rubbed his temples and continued to pace around the room. This conversation would not end well, the twisted knot in the bottom of his gut knew it.

"So what you're saying is you don't believe in my ability to take care of myself." Sasuke's words were clipped with an edge of sarcasm.

"NO!" Naruto vehemently denied. "What I am saying is I don't want you to needlessly risk your life and put yourself in danger. We can send a different team."

Sasuke sneered, "Go to hell. What are you, my mother? Trying to protect me?"

Naruto grabbed the front of Sasuke's grey shit forcefully, pulling him close. "This isn't about your pride, you bastard. It's about doing something- or actually, not doing something for the good of other people. Something you wouldn't know anything about."

Naruto had almost, almost forgotten how hard Sasuke could punch. The taste of blood filled his mouth as the well placed blow struck him right in the teeth, splitting his lip. He snarled, kneeing the black haired man as hard as he could in the gut. Naruto felt a sense of dark satisfaction hearing Sasuke hiss in pain at the blow.

"Shut the fuck up with all of your self-indulgent bullshit." Sasuke spat out vehemently. "I'm sick of it. Do you want to treat me like your girlfriend? Want me to stay home and cook for you while you order other people to go fight scary ninjas?"

"You know what the fuck I mean!" Naruto's blue eyes flashed in indignation. "You're a direct target, you'll be hunted down specifically bastard, I'm trying to save your life!"

"I don't want you to save my life! I've had enough of your goddamn hero complex." Sasuke said as he elbowed him in the neck, bringing him down.

Naruto landed on his side, but swung his leg out just in time to knock Sasuke off his feet. The two fell to the floor, kicks and punches flying as they fought needlessly for control. Naruto grabbed Sasuke around the waist and sat on him, pinning him down as hard as he could. He grabbed the dark haired man's shoulders, slamming him down on the floor as hard as he could, hearing a satisfying thud as Sasuke's head smacked the hardwood floor.

"Haven't you had enough self destruction in your life, huh? Want to go fuck up everything again?! What to go off alone again, you selfish piece of shit?"

Sasuke snarled like a feral creature at that and grabbed the front of Naruto's shirt with both hands, his grip was white knuckled tight. Naruto braced for the inevitable punch or strangling that never came as they locked eyes and breathed heavily. His eyes were dark chips of obsidian instead of their usual grey, but his voice was eerily calm and devoid of emotion.

"Yes." The grip on the shirt slacked, and he twisted to the side, forcing the blonde off of him. Sasuke stood slowly and carefully as Naruto stood abruptly, chest heaving with ire. He watched silently as Sasuke grabbed his katana and stalked out of the apartment.

The door closed behind him with a loud bang, and Naruto sank back on to his knees. A flash of memory popped to the forefront of his mind, a night where he laid under the night sky as a teenager and wished on a shooting star that he could see Sasuke again. A raw laugh of anguish bubbled through his throat as he contemplated the irony of it all.

For the second time in ten years, Sasuke had left once again, and Naruto was unable to change his mind. His tattoo throbbed with anger in his palm, and for the first time since it had been placed there Naruto wished he could cut it out.

* * *

Sakura was not used to having people pound on the door at all hours of the night. When it happened, it was always an urgent emergency, so she walked to the door with slow brewing anxiety in the pit of her stomach. However, she certainly did not expect to see Naruto in her doorway, wearing a rumbled tracksuit with an expression of misery etched into his scared face.

"Naruto? What's wrong? Are you ok?"

"…Yeah."

She ushered him into her apartment quickly. Naruto sat himself at the kitchen table, looking sadly into the tablecloth. Sakura busied herself with making tea and tried not to barrage him with nervous questions. As if on cue once the steaming mug was put into his hands, Naruto spoke.

"Sasuke's gone on another mission."

Sakura learned from a young age that usually the entire truth in men's stories had to be pried out with careful questions and patience."Yeah? He goes on them all the time, right?"

"We had a fight before he left." Naruto fidgeted with his fingers around the handle of his cup. Sakura presses onward, choosing her words with tact.

"I mean, you guys fight all the time, about everything. I'm sure it's going to be ok. He's just got to blow off some steam, that's all. Then he'll come home like he always does."

Naruto closed his eye's and sighed heavily as he took a long drink of tea. He sat the half drained cup on the table, still staring into the mug. He hoped that if he looked hard enough, a genie would pop out and reverse what had just transpired in the last hour.

"He took a really dangerous mission, Sakura. Where he's a direct target. And the elders wanted to send him anyway, and I told them I would convince him not to take it. But well, we all know how well I can reach Sasuke, huh?" His voice sounded bitter and tired, a tone very rare for the usually cheerful blonde.

Sakura took his hand, which he squeezed tightly. She had never seen such an expression of grief on Naruto's face in a long time.

"He'll be back. And he's going to be ok, he's one of the strongest shinobi we've ever seen, you know?"

Naruto squeezed back. "Yeah, you're right. I should calm down.. its just..I can't handle him leaving again, on angry terms. I don't want anything bad to happen to him, as stupid as that sounds."

"Its not stupid. Loving someone makes you worry, even if you trust in their abilities. Its totally normal." Sakura comforted, and took a long sip of the strong green tea in her cup.

Naruto mulled her words over in his head. "Love. Hmmm…"

Sasukra rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away. "Yes, Naruto, love. That mushy feeling people have when they are with someone. When you accept them and care even when they act in a way that bothers you."

Naruto smiled them, and looked up. "Well, me without him isn't a reality I'll ever accept. That's the only way I know how to live."

Sakura smiled a small smile in return. "I know."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey wonderful people! **This is the last chapter of this story. This is the right fanfiction I have written in a couple years, so it means a lot to me to finish it! Please consider this story in lieu of the horrible manga ending, and let me know your thoughts and comments! Thanks for all the rates a reviews so far!

* * *

Naruto rarely woke in the middle of the night. Even more rare was to wake suddenly covered in sweat and filled with a great sense of urgent terror. His right palm throbbed viciously, and he heard the gentle rolling of thunder in the distance. There wasn't a sense of foreboding dread in his heart, because Naruto already knew two things about why: something had happened to Sasuke, and whatever it was was definitely not good.

'He needs me." Naruto thought. 'I have to find him.' The thought came instantly and easily to him, as if he was reading off a report about crop harvests off his desk. But instead something had happened to Sasuke, and that thought alone was so entirely terrifying he wasn't quite sure how to feel at all.

He ripped the bedcovers tangled around his legs away from his body, and stumbled about his room in the dark. Naruto bit down the urge to scream and dash from the house naked in a frenzy to find out what was happening. Methodically and carefully, he set about turning his lights on and dressing. He donned his standard issue Jonin uniform, and after brief consideration, Sasuke's unused green flak jacket. He tucked kunai and shuriken into the pockets with fingers trembling with barely concealed restraint. He decided to forget his noticeable white Hokage jacket as he quickly tugged his feet into sandals. Then, it was out the door and into the sticky sweet night air.

* * *

Needless to say, Shikamaru was not happy to receive Naruto at his front door in the middle of the night. Naruto could not tell if he was more pissed about being roused out of bed or being stupid enough to actually come to the door, but he didn't really care.

"What they hell do you want at 1 am?" Shikanamru asked, scratching his head. He was dressed in a matching button up pajama set, and if the situation had not been so dire Naruto would have laughter right in his face at the sight.

"Sasuke's in trouble, and I'm going after him. You need to assemble a team to follow me, I'm leaving right now." Naruto explained quickly. Surprisingly, his voice sounded commanding and calm, not betraying the unease thickly coating his mind.

"How do you know? He's been gone for a while now." Skimaruto furrowed his brow and swept his long hair from his face.

Naruto held up his hand, revealing his sun tattoo, forever imprinted in his pam. "This. Call it Sasuke intuition of whatever the fuck you want, but it's true. I'm leaving now."

"Naruto, if what you are saying is true- and when it comes to Sasuke, I'm always inclined to believe you-we need to assemble a proper team. I can have it ready in the morning, we can't let you go alone.." Shikamaru reasoned, before he was cut off by a violent shake of Naruto's head.

"NO! I'm the Hokage, dammit, and I can handle this situation alone. Now, Ino can track my location and keep a medic team can be following on standby, but no one else if coming with me right now. I can't be slowed down." Naruto said, fierce determination set onto his face. As if he just remembered, Naruto fished his black forehead protector out of his pocket and tied it on under his straight blonde hair.

Shikamaru groaned internally. "Well, I certainly can't stop you. Don't do anything stupid. I'll assemble a team within the hour to follow your progress."

Naruto clasped him on the back firmly and then was gone, a yellow black blur dodging around on the rooftops of buidlings under the starry bright sky.

Shikamaru closed the door and pulled his hair up into his signature ponytail as he slipped back into his bedroom.

"Baby? What is it?" Temari asked, naked save for a shining gold wedding ring. She sat up in bed illuminated in the moonlight with her hair down around her shoulders. Shikamaru wanted nothing more than to damn everyone and everything except the two of them to hell, right in that moment.

Instead he sighed deeply, and reached for his pants. "Fucking Sasuke Uchiha. Always something with Sasuke. Go back to bed, love. It's going to be a long night."

* * *

Night had turned to day far too quickly for Naruto's taste. He ran as quietly as possible through the trees as his palm continued to burn fiercely. Tiredness was shaken from his bones, his senses alert and on edge. Remembrance of Sasuke's stacks of team ANBU reports always remindinfed him that he usually came back to Konoha from missions in these woods, just east of the village. Instinct told him that he was getting closer and closer to finding his objective, as improbable as it sounds.

In the distance to his left Naruto spotted a burning tree. 'Bingo.' He thought, as he ran toward it with reckless abandon.

Naruto landed on the ground, checking his surroundings. The forest floor had been reduced to broken timber and ash, with paths of mud caked grass strewn throughout. He cloaked his chakra as he moved forward, looking from side to side. 'This is the place', he thought.

Laying underneath the tree was a woman. Naruto knew she was dead from the strange angle of her neck. He landed next to her, touching her cold body gently.

The bright blonde hair gave her away as Satski, a member of sasuke's personal team. It looked as thought she had been stabbed multiple times prior to her death, and there was a small puddle of blood pooled around her body. Naruto closed her sightless brown eyes in respect as his heat thumped mightily in his chest. This wasn't good.

Naruto walked to his right, seeing more dead. He counted ten bodies total, excluding Satski's as one of his own. This must have been the foe, with their strange foreign garb and large clunky looking weapons. He pulled a short sword out of the ground where it lay partially concealed in the mud by his feet. Unable to recognize the strange markings on the hilt, he let it slip out of his fingers and back into the dirt. Naruto carefully looked over each body, making sure they were in fact, dead. Naruto summoned up a little bit of Kuruma's chakra to bind the bodies together, just in case. He felt a certain swell of pride knowing Sasuke's team took out ten people with only one casualty of their own. Still, his heart broke of the thought of the sweet blonde girl dying on Konoha's behalf.

In the edge of the clearing, two more bodies appeared. Judging from the shock of white hair laying so close to a dark clothed body crowned by black hair, Naruto pegged them instantly to be Suigestsu and Sasuke. Naruto's heart sank as he dashed to their sides. He reached Suigetsu first, noticing with trembling fingers that he was breathing steadily, just uncurious and badly bruised. No, it was the sight of dark red gore seeping into the brown earth underneath them that stemmed from Sasuke's body that made his breath catch and tears come unbidden to his eyes.

Sasuke didn't open his eyes or couldn't, Naruto could't tell for the caked blood around his lashes. He rubbed a shaking thumb under Sasuke's left eye, testing them to make sure his eyes were still there. They were, but Sasuke didn't move. Naruto placed a hand over his heart, feeling for the pulse of chakra and was horrified to find there was none. His pulse was sluggish and uneven.

"What…took you so…long?" Sasuke asked. Weakly, his eyes fluttered open, grey and hazy.

A hysterical sob ripped through Naruto's throat before he had a chance to contain it.

"Got held up, you know. Busy work being the king of the world." Naruto said, his voice cracking at the words.

Sasuke had no dry, sarcastic comment this time. Naruto was quick to notice the bright boldness of blood splashed on Sasuke's pale upper arms. A huge, open gash started at his left collarbone and dragged halfway through his chest. Stark white of a rib in his exposed wound jutted from the ragged, blow out remains of his chest.

"Why didn't you use your sharingan? How did this happen?" Naruto stumbled over his words as he surveyed the damage. Blood never bothered him, but Sasuke's blood, covering his hands made his stomach roil.

"….idiot…what good am I to you blind?" Sasuke muttered, shutting his eyes again. His breath now was coming out in labored gasps.

Naruto grasped the remainder of Sasuke vest and tore it away, ripping the remainder of his shirt in the process. "Stop talking, I'm going to save you."

"See you, Naruto." Sasuke said, as a violent shiver shook his shoulders.

"NO! Don't you fucking die on me. I love you, you bastard. You can't leave me, not now. I love you. I love you." Naruto yelled at him, as his hands shook terribly as he summoned enough chakra to stabilize Sasuke's heart beat. Faint orange chakra came from his hands but still…

Sasuke closed his eyes at the words. He let out a violent heave of breath from his chest. Sasuke's face rolled to the side, mud caking in his hair and splashing across his pale forehead.

"No! Fuck you! Wake up, wake up! You can't fucking leave me!" He shook the body in his arms with all his might. Naruto couldn't see anymore, everything was hazy and red and the worst part was that his palm felt empty, as if nothing had ever been there. With that realization Naruto screamed, a horse yell of all consuming grief.

Sasuke didn't respond, and for the first time upon arriving Naruto noticed the sheer dead weight of his body weighing down his arms. He didn't remember letting go until he felt the gentle hands of Sakura pry him off some long minutes later.

"Let go, Naruto." Sakura commanded, dressed in her Jonin garb and flanked by a team of Ino, Shikamaru, and two other ANBU members who appeared as if the very scenario was a dream.

"No." Naruto shook his head violently. Sakura slapped him then, hard enough to make the haze go away and his head ring with the violence of the strike. Instantly his arms are retrained by Shikamaru in a vice grip. Ino and Sakura knelt over Sasuke's body, bathing it in a pale glow of blue light. His cheek burned, and the voice of Shikamaru is commanding and powerful in his ear.

"Calm down, Naruto. Calm down."

He did, because there is nothing else to do.

* * *

Tweleve hours later, the antiseptic smell of the facility had lost it's power on Naruto's nose, but the expanse of boring tan paint is starting to get very hard to look at. Naruto switched positions on his chair again to prevent his ass from going numb. Sasuke lay in the hospital bed shirtless, his chest wrapped in bandages. His condition is unchanging, but stable. His powerful shoulders looked odd slumped into the mattress, and his long bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat. Tenderly, Naruto swept them off to the side.

"He's going to be ok, you know."

Naruto turned, surprised at the soothing sound of Sakura's voice. His pink haired friend is wearing a white lab coat and pink scrubs, and a weary expression across her pretty face. "His lung collapsed, Sakura-chan, and his chest was wide open. Blood and shit everywhere, I'll believe that when I see it."

"Remember when he put a hand through yours? You turned out ok." Sakura comforted, putting a hand on his chest and gently pushing him back into a chair. "Sit down and relax."

Naruto smiled wryly at her and allowed her to do so. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Eleven years ago."

"Seem's so far away, doesn't it?" Sakura asked, plopping down in a free chair adjacent to Naruto. She adjusted her lab coat as she fondly glanced at Sasuke's slumbering figure. The heart monitor made faint beeping noises in rhythm to the gradual rise and fall of his chest.

"Definitely. Lot's of things happen in a decade." Naruto replied. Sakura handed him a full water bottle which he gratefully accepted. He drank half quickly, wiping his mouth off with the back of a sweatshirt clad arm.

"Well yeah. Biggest difference is you two haven't been trying to kill each other anymore. From what I can see, I don't know what happened in the bedroom, though." Sakura stated, laughing quietly.

Naruto felt the heat rising him his cheeks as he could not help but laugh along with her. He shook his head. "You pervert!"

"But really, Naruto. Things are going to be fine." She took his shoulder in her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. "This is my hospital, you have to trust me, ok? Sasuke-kun just needs some rest, that's all. He'll wake soon."

The comforting sound of his dear friend's words did in fact help soothe the tumultuous feelings of unease within him. "Thanks for all of your help, Sakura-chan. I just feel like its my fault for letting him go, you know?"

Sakura smiled understandingly. "Naruto, you need to know by now that Sasuke's probably the most stubborn person who ever lived. It's not your fault. Tell him off for being reckless when he wakes up, yeah?"

Naruto smiled for the first time in two days, a lopsided toothy grin. "Yeah. I will."

"Oh, and by the way.. sorry for hitting you so hard. It's impossible to calm you once you go Kyuubi. I couldn't let you just go nuts like that. But I didn't mean to hurt you." Sakura said, looking apologetic. "I just wanted to do my job and save Sasuke-kun."

Naruto shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I owe you everything for what you did. Seriously."

"Yes, well. Consider my work when it's time to dole out the city budget." Sakura teased, sticking her tongue out. With that she was gone, and Naruto already missed the company.

* * *

For first 48 hours Naruto was at the hospital, Sasuke remained unconscious. Naruto had left Kakashi in charge for the time being, choosing to spent his time wandering around the busy corridors of the hospital with deep bags under his eyes. After the first ten hours of incessant pacing, Sakura had forced him to change out of his blood stained clothes and into a spare set of sweats she found in the lost and found box. After the next ten hours, she kicked him out of the room to go home and sleep. This request he promptly ignored and instead walked the corridors of the lower level floors in an effort to avoid her.

It was on floor two, between section's B and C that Naruto ran into Karin, almost causing her to drop a sleeping baby.

"Naruto! Watch where you are going!" Karin admonished, hissing at him and she arranged the child in her arms. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a rumbled yet long tan dress. The sight of her covered up so much was slightly more shocking than seeing the usually violent girl holding a baby.

"Oh, sorry." Naruto said as he rubbed his hair. It took a second to remember why she was here. "How is Suigetsu doing?"

Karin's voice and expression softened at the mention of her husband's name.

"Much better. He's sleeping now, he should be home tomorrow. They just have him here to rest, really."

"That's good." Naruto said, happy at the news. If only Sasuke would was getting better, too.

Karin's eyes moistened with tears as she looked up at him. "Please thank Sasuke- kun for me, won't you?"

"Why?" inquired Naruto. He quickly wracked his brain for any previous conversations with Sasuke his might have forgotten that would have warranted some kind of thanks from her.

Karin's eyes widened in surprise. "Because he saved Suigetsu's life of course!"

"He.. he did?" Not many to claim that Sasuke Uchiha was capable of that much compassion. Honestly, it was shocking, and Naruto is the only one privy to the inner workings of Sasuke's heart.

"You didn't know? Well, I guess you haven't been to see Suigetsu with Sasuke still out and all, but that's why his heart stopped, and he had no chakra, you know. He gave it all to Suigetsu so he wouldn't die. Told him he had a family now, so he had to keep living."

Naruto recalled a flash of memory, of finding Sasuke with his bloodied left hand stretched outwards, only a few feet from his unconscious comrade. How when he arrived, he noticed Sasuke hadn't taken any efforts to heal himself. Of course. Naruto closed his eyes, his chest tight. God damn it Sasuke, of course you did.

'In the end you do the right thing, don't you?' Naruto thought. He couldn't find words at the moment he felt he would explain aloud, so instead he gave the red haired women a faint smile.

Karin smiled understandingly and shifted the sleeping baby to her left arm. "I can never thank him enough. But I don't have time to right now with this baby and my stupid human sized baby so you have to do it for me, ok?"

"Of course I will." Naruto gave her a hug around his cousin's shoulders, and looked closely the baby for the first time. "And this is..?" Naruto asked, gesturing down at the sleeping infant that was crowned with shockingly red hair.

Karin smiled behind her cat eye glasses. "Kubikiri! Isn't he something? Suigetsu wanted to name him after Zabuza's sword you know. At first I was against it, but now I think it's pretty fitting."

As if on cue at the mention of his name, Kubikiri let out an impressive yawn, showing off two tiny razor sharp teeth. Definitely Suigetsu's kid despite the red hair. Naruto patted the baby's head awkwardly before saying goodbye. Babies kinda looked like potatoes with faces, he mused. And he would be willing to wager his life that baby will grow up to be quite the crazy handful.

Naruto wandered back into Sasuke's room shortly thereafter.

* * *

Naruto woke from his awkward position on the uncomfortable plastic waiting room chair at the sound of a faint cough. The light of dawn filled the stark room with a muted pinkish glow. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his sleeve, he scooted the chair closer the the hospital bed and leaned his arms over the metal railing.

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, grey eyes. Naruto was struck with the shade, drinking it in as he had not been privy to their color for too many days.

"Sasuke!" Naruto breathed out, shocked at the unsteadiness in his tone. "How do you feel?"

Sasuke blinked a few times, "Tired." He blinked the sleep from his eyes and looked down at the IV protruding from his hand. Recognition dawned on him as he slowly collected his bearings after 48 hours of being in a coma. His right hand gingerly touched his bandaged chest before dropping slowly back onto the mattress.

"I bet. You've been out a couple days." Naruto explained.

"How… did I get here?" Sasuke asked, a confused expression playing along his features. He turned head so he faced Naruto, who impulsively brushed his bangs out of Sasuke's eyes. Naruto's blue eyes were filled with warmth and Sasuke didn't look away.

"I brought you back. Had to carry you myself, and you are pretty damn heavy, so you totally owe me one." Naruto replied, soft grin in place. He scooted closer to the bed in his chair, and learned his arms onto the edge of the bed.

"Tch." Sasuke snorted, and closed his eyes again.

"You almost went and died without me, you son of a bitch."

"Remind me to kill you before I decide to die, then." Sasuke replied, smiling faintly.

Naruto gently flicked the side of Sasuke's head with his fingers, causing him to open his eyes once more.. "What's with you talking a lot when you're injured, huh?"

"Your annoying habits must be influencing me." Sasuke responded. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing slightly as he did so.

"Do you feel ok?" Naruto leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his face, wincing at the feel of stubble across his chin. Shit, forgot to shave for three days now. He probably looked insane, with his rumbled borrowed sweats and eyes red rimmed with lack of sleep. Idly he considered shaving in the small attached bathroom while Sasuke mulled the question over.

"I'm hungry." Sasuke stated.

"Oh! Sakura left you some food in the hallway; I can go get it for you." Naruto replied, standing up.

Naruto returned, a small tray carrying bread, a fruit cup, and water. He focused so much effort into opening the door quietly without dropping the tray he almost didn't catch Sasuke's words upon entering the room.

"I remember what you said."

Naruto's blue eyes opened wide in surprise as he turned at the voice. "You do?" Naruto felt uncertain, unsure of how the conversation would go.

"Itachi said the same thing, before he died. Well, the second time." Sasuke looked out the window with his hands in his lap, his voice steady but quiet.

Naruto sat up, eyes wide. He set the food laden tray down on the small end table at the foot of the bed. His heart lurched into his throat and settled into a sticky lump. He tries to swallow it down. Sasuke had never revealed personal affects about his brother, as important as he was to him. "What did he say?"

Sasuke turned to him then, his thin eyebrows knitting in the middle. "That he would love me forever." His voice sounded unnaturally detached, and Naruto strained to hear every syllable.

"Oh." Naruto murmured.

"I didn't have a response for him. I should have said something back."

Naruto felt as if someone put his lungs in a vice grip and was slowly squeezing air from them. "Like what?"

"That I understood why. That I forgave him, or he wasn't alone."

Naruto struggled to find words suitable to match the raw honestly coming from the person on earth he cared for more that anything. That he would die for, go to the fucking ends of the earth for him, rather than hear Sasuke express words of regret or sadness.

"He knew you loved him, deep down. I'm sure of it." Naruto affirmed.

"I know." Sasuke said quietly, and turned his face from the window to face him. His thin brows knitted in the middle and his mouth parted slightly, giving his expression a vulnerable appearance. "What you said back then…I've always known. I feel the same way, Naruto. I love you too." His breath hitched as he tested the words in his mouth and placed his hand on the bed, close to Naruto's. "And that feeling has only ever been you." he finished. That bandaged hand reached outwards, touching golden hair lightly.

Naruto stared at him, blue eyes wide. How long had he waited to hear those words? He would relive the entirety of those long years of separation again and again for eternity for this moment right here, right now. Hell, his whole fucking life, and it would be Sasuke filling his heart with every emotion he never even dreamed possible every damn time in every universe and dimension.

Naruto climbed onto the bed, his shoes be damned. All that mattered was the body that was suddenly filling his arms, strong and hard and lean and bare besides bandages. He pressed his face into that pale shoulder, and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck. His fingers found purchase in silky black hair, which he stroked gently. Sasuke rested his cheek on the top of Naruto's head and screwed his eyes shut tight.

"I fucking love you." Naruto murmured, his lips intimately Sasuke's neck. "You are the other half of me, Sasuke. Soul mates, thats what we are. Chosen by fate and shit, I don't fucking care if that's a real thing, I would have chosen you anyway."

Sasuke's hands gripped Naruto's forearms hard enough to bruise as he shuttered slightly at the words. He said nothing, but Naruto never needed words to understand Sasuke. Perhaps in the next life when the would be undoubtably reborn and find each other again, the dynamics would be different. But this, this is relationship right here is more important than anything. Naruto kissed the bare skin beneath his lips, feeling Sasuke shiver slightly at the gesture. He lifted his head to face Sasuke, his hands coming down to cup his cheeks as he kissed him hard. Sasuke returned the kiss just as urgently, immediately opening his mouth to greet the other's tongue. Naruto's mind went blank to the concept of time as they connected their mouths, but long enough for them to both pull away and gasp for air long moments later. Sasuke met his eyes, tight death grip still on Naruto's arms.

The look of raw emotion and openness on Sasuke's face took his breath away. He'd seen Sasuke laugh, scream, scowl, even pant out his name in a breathless moan but never in his life had he seem him with such a look of earnest vulnerability. Naruto was sure he could live for the next thousand years and never see a sight more beautiful. A wide smile broke out across his tanned, handsome face. For once in his life, no words fell into the forefront of his mind.

"Hey." Naruto said. He rubbed a gentle line down the curve of Sasuke's high cheekbone with a tanned finger.

"Hey." Sasuke responded. He let go of Naruto's forearms, who in turn dropped his hands from Sasuke's cheeks. Sasuke scooted over toward the widow, making more room on the small hospital bed. Naruto laid back against the pillows on his side, smiling up at him. Sasuke returned the smile and laid back against the pillows piled behind his back. A comfortable silence fell, and they both turned toward the large window where the night sky twinkled back at them. 'It was good to have summer back again', Naruto thought. The quiet cacophony of cicadas resounded in the distance.

"I want to go home." Sasuke's sounded weary, the only kind of sickness which the antidote was a bath and a good rest in a familiar bed.

"Me too." Naruto replied. He closed eye eyes and rested his cheek against Sasuke's arm. "Sakura-chan should let ya go in the morning if she thinks you're ok…"

Six hours later, Sakura walked in to tell Sasuke just that. Sighing, she left immediately as she had come, and pulled the door shut on the two still slumbering men inside. Idiots. She'll come back later.

* * *

Strands of inky black hair tickled his nose as Naruto thrust deep, feeling the tight inner walls of Sasuke's body accommodate him. He let out a satisfied groan as he felt blunt nails scrape down his back. Fuck, he missed this feeling. Nothing on earth was better than letting his perfect man allow him to intimately fill him like this. Naruto pushed against the legs thrown over his shoulders, allowing him a wider breach.

He trailed his hand gently down the rigid muscles of Sasuke's side as he thrust again. Sasuke's laugh was low and throaty as he jerked away from the touch and pushed his hands away.

"You laughed! Holy shit you're ticklish!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise, the sexual nature of what they were doing temporally forgotten.

"Shut up." Sasuke replied, grabbing a fistful of blonde hair. Naruto smiled down at him with reverent appreciation in his eyes. Consumed by a fit of affection, he nuzzled his face into that pale, inviting neck. Sasuke's arms came up around his shoulders, holding him close.

"Ne, Sasuke, do it again." Naruto asked, repeating the tickling motion down Sasuke's stomach, and relishing the feel of his body squirm underneath him.

Sasuke jerked on the hair in his fingers, pulling his head up with a spark of pain. Naruto let out a groan at the feeling of Sasuke insides clamp around him. That talented mouth was suddenly on his neck, biting down hard before pulling away with a wet pop.

"No, idiot. Fuck me harder or you'll put me to sleep." Sasuke's demanded, his tone low and filled with promise.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto teased, as he pulled out maddeningly slow, before slamming back in to the hilt. Leaning back, he smirked as he noticed Sasuke's open mouth, gasping with surprise at the action. "Like that? You look so good on my cock, taking it."

Sasuke's response was to grab Naruto's forearms and haul himself away roughly, flipping over onto his stomach. Naruto groaned at the sight of his lover on all fours, his handsome, pale body his now and forever. He grabbed Sasuke's ass with both hands, driving himself home. Naruto paused as Sasuke's breaths came out in ragged pants as he readjusted to Naruto's size.

"Give it, then." Sasuke demanded, turning his head behind him to catch Naruto's mouth in a harsh, bruising kiss.

Naruto did.

* * *

One month later, Naruto padded softly across his living room in nothing but his boxer shorts. He yawned widely, streaming his arms high above his head and causing his defined chest muscles to flex at the action. He slowly approached the open window. but sensed no danger. He closed his palm, feeling soothing comfort sink from his arm and directly into his heart.

"Whatcha doing?" Naruto asked, his voice teasing and thick with sleep.

Sasuke turned his head, and Naruto was quick to notice the open cut of his black robe, revealing his long, twisted scar on his chest. The light of early dawn filled the living room with a pale orange glow.

"Couldn't sleep." Sauske replied easily, setting down the book he was reading on the coffee table.

"Can't you just watch TV like a normal person?" Naruto padded over to the couch and sat down next to him.

Sasuke's lips quirked upwards in the barest hints of a smile. "No. I have to start getting ready soon."

"Shit I forgot about that." Naruto said, grinning. He absently pulled on a pair of lounge pants off the back of a chair and slid them on.

Naruto wanted to tell him to stay home, stay safe, to lie in bed with him forever. But he couldn't, wouldn't dare voice those start thoughts aloud. Sasuke was always going to do what he wanted to, and honestly as hard as it was letting him go it was ten times for satisfying to see him come back.

"Going to make me come save you again, huh?" Naruto teased. He laid down on the couch, and put his head in Sasuke's lap. Surprisingly, the dark haired man didn't shove him off.

"No." Sasuke answered, looking down at him. He rested him left hand over Naruto's chest, and the two laid in quiet contentment s the sun continued to rise.

"That's a relief. I'm too busy to save your ass, ruling the world n' all." Naruto teased.

"I'm sure." Sasuke said. Naruto felt hands run though his hair. He smiled up at the black haired man.

"I'm going to miss you." Naruto stated. It had gotten so much easier to say how his emotions made him feel, now. No matter how petty, Sasuke would accept them and reciprocate.

"Good." Sasuke threw out carelessly, and glanced down, his lips upturned in a smile. Naruto lifted his arm to playfully whack at his arm.

"You asshole! I'm trying to be nice and shit!"

"So am I." Sasuke replied cooly, resting back against the sofa and his neck on the top. Naruto settled back down against his laps, and closed his eyes. Everything is going to be ok, truly. Naruto was good at reassuring himself of this fact, but this close proximity with Sasuke provided optimum comfort. His heart pounded slightly as he thought of something meaningful to say, but the silence comfortably grew between them. His palm twinged of something becoming common to him, the feeling of utter relaxation with someone you love and trust entirely.

Sasuke left for the mission later that day, and Naruto went to Suna on business with Gaara.

In two months, Sasuke came back, unhurt. And when he saw him, he smiled.


End file.
